Tag: Value

Every CEO gets to take a stand or waver

Goals quote
Things only become sayings or cliches if they are true. From LinkedIn yesterday.

 

The event planner left a voice message yesterday saying my price was too high for her client, even though i offered two discounts. (one for 100% advance payment, the other for contracting a second, future, engagement simultaneously.

One standard $3,500 discount for 100% advance payment, and another $2,000 for what i creativity labeled “seed discount”; a goodwill gesture anticipating future bookings.

The $2,000 seed discount would be added back into the second contract, so it’s technically not a discount – more like a short-term loan to help them meet short-term budget constraints for the first booking.

i love being able to talk about price integrity with conviction and commitment.

The real client – the event planner’s client – wants an amazing Disney speaker for a half-day leadership engagement for her association’s 27-member statewide board of directors.

She’ll find less expensive options.

i’m a firm believer you get what you pay for.

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This website is about our WORK. To ponder today’s post about our HQ, click here.

 

What justifies a price we are willing to pay?

Personal Trainer rates
i asked Charles for this yesterday.

 

What justifies a price we are willing to pay?

  • Expertise?
  • Trust?
  • Comfort?
  • Style?
  • Reputation?
  • Results?
  • Exemplification?

All that plus this:

How badly does the prospect want to change?

And if they are pro-change, where do they what to land?

 

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On April Fool’s Day 2009, jeff noel began writing five daily, differently-themed blogs (on five different sites). It was to be a 100-day self-imposed “writer’s bootcamp”, in preparation for writing his first book. He hasn’t missed a single day since.

This website is about our career health. To leave this site to read today’s post on my home health website, click here.

 

Fantastic

Blurred photo from Disney Leadership class
We had many moments like this one, yesterday.

 

Fantastic.

Every time i speak, i listen for the words people use when they say something to me afterwards.

There is a big difference in word choice and i’m only listening for one category of words.

i find solace in hearing words that revolve around yesterday’s key word choice – fantastic.

Note: When people say “that was really good”, i failed.

 

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This website is about our career health. To leave this site to read today’s post on my home health website, click here.

Cashing in

post it note
Self-evident and irrefutable are my wheelhouse.

 

How old are you?

How much experience?

Are you cashing in?

Theoretically, each of us ought to be able to write a big check. After all, we have spent a lifetime honing our skills.

Here’s what the post-it says:

My model is based on what should be self-evident. If it’s not, i’m not going to try to convince you.

US Marine battle strategy.

 

__________

 

This website is about our career health. To leave this site to read today’s post on my home health website, click here.

If i have to explain it to you

Avant garde mind explosion
Photo: From unknown Facebook contributor.

 

One of the most under rated benefits of daily journaling is the cathartic effect of being able to say something publicly, and then letting it go, once and for all.

It’s often been said:

If i have to explain it to you, you won’t understand.

But it sure would be cool to blow that up.

Thank you for calling me a zealot and a narcissist. i’ve always valued your feedback.

Walt Disney was a zealot. As are most people with big dreams. The narcissist label has challenged me, in a good way, though. And thankfully, i can see your point.

In my final annual performance appraisal, my leader used those two words to describe my reputation amongst leadership.

And i finally figured out why he felt that way. At least it feels like the only logical explanation. There are times when all we have is our “gut” instinct.

In order to help him see my value, i would, begrudgingly, share things he would never see – an act of desperation really – simply to raise my salary. It was literally impossible for leadership to carve out time to observe the type of work the delivery team does.

How did i come to this realization?

Being on my own for nearly a year now, my salary is not measured by a leader’s opinion, it is measured in revenue – a metric successful companies put on a pedestal.

No one in their right mind would ask for a 30% raise and 50% fewer work hours.

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